The road to the FEI World Cup Dressage Final has never been an easy one for riders in the United States, but changes are brewing that will make qualifying even tougher. On the one hand, a new qualifying system for the Final should ensure the best combinations go, but a decision by the Fédération Equestre Internationale Dressage Committee to reduce the number of North American riders allowed to compete at the Final means there’s one fewer spot available.
This was the last year that the U.S. League Final determined who would represent the United States at the World Cup Final (see p. 8). The purpose of the League Final was to bring the best competitors together, and the two pairs that triumphed would be well prepared for the electric atmosphere of the World Cup Final.
But geography made it difficult to actually bring the top horses and riders together from both coasts. And the League Final didn’t leave any flexibility for a minor injury—such as the one Aragon incurred just before starting the 2007 competition—or simply for a bad day after a good show season.
That’s not to say that the U.S. League Final didn’t work or that the right horses didn’t qualify to go. But it’s all a moot point now, because next year we’ll be using the same system employed in the Western European League—riders will qualify at World Cup-qualifying competitions, and the riders earning the most points at the end of the season will go to the Final.
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U.S. Chef d’Equipe Klaus Balkenhol said that the European system is a good one, and it’s hard to believe that riders will object to less travel and the opportunity to qualify through repeated excellence instead of a one-shot deal. We don’t yet know which competitions will become World Cup qualifiers, although it makes sense to balance the number of qualifiers regionally to prevent excess travel as riders try to earn their points.
The other major change for 2008 is that only 15 finalists will contest the World Cup Final instead of 18. This should bring the Final closer to being a competition of the very best dressage riders in the world. To facilitate that reduction, the United States League and the Canadian League have been combined into one North American League with only two spots available for the Final, instead of the previous three—one for the Canadians and two for the United States.
The United States has consistently won team bronze for the past 15 years in international competition, even ascending to silver at the 2002 World Equestrian Games (Spain), so it’s a shame that now that we’ve proven our talent in the dressage arena—and Canadian riders have also improved—that North America is going to lose that one valuable spot. Unfortunately, it’s most likely that a Canadian will be the one left out. Limited funds, cold weather and far fewer horses than the United States make it tough for them to compete.
Cara Whitham, a Canadian FEI O-rated judge, said at the U.S. League Finals that these changes could mean an improved level of competition because U.S. and Canadian riders have no choice but to improve if they want to ride in future World Cup Finals. Now FEI wild cards may still be an option for both countries, however, they’re not guaranteed. While it may not be fair to lose one of our spots, the only way to prove we deserve it back is with excellent riding that can’t be beat in any country.
Sara Lieser